


Johnny and the Otter

by Inner_Devil



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Complete, Ficlet, M/M, Oneshot, SO MUCH FLUFF, one chapter, otter!lock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-16 00:30:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5806276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inner_Devil/pseuds/Inner_Devil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A kind of Beauty and the Beast type story, but cuter and without the curse. Sherlock is an otter and John takes care of him. They're super sweet together. This was inspired by art by ppworkspace.tumblr.com.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Johnny and the Otter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ppworkspace.tumblr.com](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=ppworkspace.tumblr.com).



> Thanks to ppworkspace for the inspiration and permission to create this fic!

It was a cold, rainy night, not uncommon for London, when John was walking home from work. He had his umbrella up and was doing his best to stay dry as he tried to get home. But as average as the day had seemed, something unexpected crossed his path. An otter with a dark brown pelt and a mop of nearly black curls on its head. It was wet and seemed irritated as it scampered into John's path and gazed up at him with curious, intelligent blue-green eyes. 

"Well hello there, little guy. Where'd you come from?" the army doctor hummed, leaning down to pick him up. He chuckled as the otter made a few soft noises that he took as a greeting. "You're such a sweetheart. Come on. Why don't you come home with me?"

So the doctor brought his newfound friend home with him, giving him a bath there and managing to find an old robe that had gone with a toy previously. He tied the soft blue robe around the otter's body to keep him warm and smiled, already feeling a bit attached to the creature. But he knew he had to find the poor thing's home. He couldn't have come from the Thames. And he could hardly think of anywhere but a zoo that would have creatures like this. But he hadn't heard of any zoos missing otters.

"Where did you come from?" John sighed, looking down at the little otter. But it just seemed to huff at him and squeaked a bit. "What is it? What do you want?" he asked, then made a small noise of surprise as the otter climbed up on top of him and into his pocket before reemerging with cell phone.

"Oi! Get back here!" John called as the creature ran off with his mobile, chasing after him. But by the time he caught up, the otter was seemingly on the phone with someone.

"Really? You got yourself caught again? All right, fine. I'll arrive soon to bring you home," the voice on the phone sighed as the otter chirped at it. Soon the conversation ended and the otter slipped the phone back into John's pocket easily. The man was astounded.

"Did your owner teach you how to do that? That's amazing," John murmured, eyes widening. "Well I guess you'll be headed home soon then. It was nice having you here for a while."

He made sure his flat was cleaned up, since he'd have a visitor soon. But the man who arrived was far from what he'd expected. The ginger was tall and had a bit of weight to him with piercing eyes. He was dressed in a grey three piece suit and leaned on an umbrella with each step. 

"Oh, um, hi," John greeted, clearing his throat. "I guess you're here for the otter I found earlier."

"Yes," the man sighed. "He's my brother, unlikely as it seems. He managed to turn himself into this and couldn't figure out how to become a human again. So he's to remain like this for the rest of his life. Unless, of course, he should discover how to change back."

John's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding. Am I supposed to believe this Beauty and the Beast shit? People don't turn into animals," he argued. "You're just some loon who thinks an otter is his brother."

Suddenly a noise came from the otter than sounded eerily similar to laughter. It almost sounded human. John could hardly believe it.

"All right. If he was a human, how come you can't figure out how to change him back," the blonde demanded.

"Unfortunately, we can't sort out what he used to turn himself into this. And he has no memory of the specifics of the chemicals he used," the man sighed. "Anyhow, I'll be taking my brother home now."

The man reached out to pick the otter up, but soon hissed and pulled back when he was bitten. "Ow! Sherlock, stop that! You're coming home," the ginger sighed, wrapping his handkerchief around his wound. 

"Sherlock? That's an interesting name, especially for an otter," John commented.

"His full name is William Sherlock Scott Holmes. I'm his brother, as previously stated, Mycroft Holmes," the ginger replied.

"Right.....Well it doesn't look like he wants to," John commented, shaking his head and chuckling as the otter, apparently Sherlock, crawled down the back of his shirt and hid. "He can stay here. I'll take good care of him," he assured Mycroft.

The other man sighed, but nodded. "All right. I'll ensure that his belongings are sent here. Keep him away from drugs. And make sure he eats properly," Mycroft told him, writing down a phone number and address. "You can contact me here. But do try not to need me."

John took the paper and nodded, then rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. I think we can manage that. Right, Sherlock?" he answered, chuckling when the otter popped up behind him in his shirt and let out a noise of approval. "See? We'll be fine. Just send me whatever he needs and I'll take care of the rest."

Sure enough, once Mycroft had sent over Sherlock's otter sized clothes and other belongings, the pair got on marvelously. Sherlock was almost constantly either on John's shoulders or down his shirt, which John had no problem with. But when it came to cases, the otter could become rather demanding. Riding around on John's shoulders and occasionally hopping down to run off with his miniature Belstaff coat fluttering behind him with each stride. But John knew just how to handle him when he got out of hand. It was fairly simple to pick Sherlock up by his shirt and the scruff of his neck and carry him away when he started to get out of line. 

The pair did well together, learning how to work around one another and how to compliment each other's personality. They lived together for about three years, though John's life with Sherlock was far from normal. The otter always seemed to find a way to ruin any date John attempted to have, everything from calling him on dates to biting the women he brought home. He'd done it all. But John couldn't stay upset with him for long and soon ended up sharing a biscuit with the other while Sherlock perched on his shoulder. But just as John had gotten comfortable with their mad lives, everything changed again.

John had bought Sherlock a chemistry set designed for children years ago to keep him entertained and since that day Sherlock had been working to figure out how to turn himself back into a human. John doubted it would work, since he'd been trying for ages. But he allowed the other to try anyway, figuring it couldn't hurt anything. After all, the otter had already caused multiple explosions. How much worse could it get? But one day, while John was at work, Sherlock finally managed it. The man found the right combination of chemicals and transformed back into his pale, lanky human form. He found some of his old clothes Mycroft had sent and put them on, sighing as he got to wear his full size Belstaff coat again. He decided to surprise John with a little more though, going to a pet shop to get something for them.

"Sherlock, I'm home!" John called as he walked through the door that evening. Usually the otter came running and tonight was no different. But this time, the creature had a light blue bow wrapped around his neck. "Well what's this? Are you a present for me?" he cooed.

"He is," Sherlock answered, appearing with hands behind his back. "I thought you might appreciate him, since you've enjoyed life with an otter for so long."

John's jaw dropped. "You.....you figured it out? Sherlock, is that really you?" he murmured.

"It is," Sherlock answered with a nod. "I did. While you were at work, in fact. And there's more to my surprise." From behind his back, the detective produced a bouquet of John's favorite flowers in one hand and a small, sandy colored hedgehog in the other. "He reminded me of you. And now our new otter has a partner as well."

John's chuckled softly and grinned. "Only you would think of something like this," he sighed, hugging the man and giving him a little kiss. "I love you. Though that would've been off if you were still an animal."

Sherlock returned the kiss an nodded. "It certainly would've been. But not now," he commented. "I suppose we should name our new pets."

"I think I like Billy for our little otter. You don't go by William and Billy seems nice for him. Since he looks so similar to you," John commented.

"All right. Then the hedgehog will be Hamish," Sherlock replied with a smirk.

John laughed, blushing a bit. "Fine. Billy and Hamish. Our two little friends," he agreed, setting the creatures down and taking the flowers.

For the rest of the night, Sherlock and John cuddled and chatted on the sofa while Billy and Hamish chased each other around the flat, Billy in Sherlock's old little blue dressing gown. It was adorable and everyone got to be happy for at least the night. Not ever after, but they had their moments.


End file.
